The Riverside Transmission Reliability Project is now under active construction — with lane closures expected across Jurupa Valley in the months ahead.
Strack family members and Mayor Patricia Lock Dawson, right, hold up the new "Captain Tim Strack Parkway" street sign alongside the existing Lime Street sign during a ceremony at Riverside Fire Station 1 on Tuesday.
A stretch of Downtown Lime Street now carries a second name honoring a longtime Riverside firefighter, following a ceremony Tuesday outside Fire Station 1 where family, city officials, and firefighters gathered to unveil the new signs.
The portion of Lime Street between 3rd and 14th streets will also be known as "Captain Tim Strack Parkway," recognizing Strack's 28 years with the Riverside Fire Department before his death in April 2023. Because the renaming is ceremonial, residents and businesses along the corridor will not need to update their addresses.
Mayor Patricia Lock Dawson, who co-proposed the naming alongside Councilmember Phillip Falcone, recalled Strack as a leader without peer.
"Tim was truly a leader for the ages — there really is none to compare to," Lock Dawson told those gathered. "Funny, practical, determined, and respected."
Strack served as president of the Riverside City Firefighters' Association Local 1067 for 21 years, about a fifth of the organization's 100-year history, making him its longest-serving president. He also served 10 years as 1st District Vice President of California Professional Firefighters, advocating for state and federal legislation improving safety standards for firefighters and the communities they protect.
Fire Chief Steve McKinster said the street renaming carries meaning beyond the symbolic.
"It's a tribute traveled daily by our members and the members of the community, which will now serve as a constant reminder of Tim's dedication and his commitment to others," McKinster said at the ceremony.
Strack's brother Jeff, speaking on behalf of the family, said the honor reflects a life spent serving others both in Riverside and beyond.
"Tim was a loving brother, husband, father, and friend to many," Jeff Strack said. "He could talk to anyone, joke with everyone — and he was doing exactly that, in Riverside, Sacramento, and D.C., advocating for his firefighting brothers and sisters."
Falcone, who represents Ward 1 and helped lead the renaming effort, noted the street's particular significance: Strack spent a portion of his career at the old Fire Station 1, which sits directly along the renamed stretch of Lime.
"Lime Street has existed in Downtown Riverside since the founding of our city," Falcone said at the ceremony. "It's fitting that we have both the moniker of Lime Street as well as Captain Tim Strack Parkway on the signage."
Following the unveiling, attendees were invited to sign the back of one of the new green street signs before it was installed at the final intersection — 10th and Lime. That sign will eventually be given to the Strack family.
The new signs display "Lime Street" as the primary name with "Captain Tim Strack Parkway" in smaller lettering below.
The Spanish Town Heritage Foundation's 13th annual Tamale Festival returned to White Park on April 18, bringing food, ballet folklĂłrico and Ozomatli in honor of the Trujillo Adobe's historic designation.
